Textile printing frame



March 18, 1941. R. E. BITNER TEXTILE PRINTING FRAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May ,29, 1940 March 18, 1941. R. E. BITNER TEXTILE PRINTING FRAME Filed May 29, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOFE March 18, 1941. R. E. BxTNER 2,235,063

TEXTILE PRINTING FRAME Filed May 29, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ch 18, 1941. R, E. BITNER 2,235,063

TEXTILE PRINTING FRAME Filed Maly 29, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 4 ENTOFZ Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to frames on which textiles may be secured and stretched while being printed by the silk screen process. It also relates iii dit

to the method and means for attaching the cloth to the frame and means for stretching the cloth aiter being attached.

The conventional and well known method of printing cloth by the silk screen process employs long tables covered with felt and fabric. A gray cloth or blotter is ilrst attached to the table by ipinning and then the cloth to be printed is pinned on top of it. The actual printing is accomplished by squeezing dye through a silk screen mounted on a wooden frame. The pattern is iormed by blocking out certain portions of the silk by paint or lacquer. During recent years this form of printing cloth has become quite popular because oi its flexibility, cheapness and facility oi changing patterns.

it is one of the main objects of this invention to eliminate the labor of. hand pinning the two cloths to the table.

other object of this invention is to provide a means for uniformly stretching the cloth to be printed and thereby eliminate the scallops near the selvage.

.another object of the invention is the provision ci a mechanism which will permit the printing of the cloth up to the selvage.

.another object of the invention is to provide a printing frame in which no gray cloth is used.

:still another object of the invention is the provision of a printing frame which allows heated air 'to he circulated under the cloth as well as over it thus drying the dyed cloth in a much shorter time.

@ther objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein;

iiig. i is an end View of the printing frame with the end-stretching mechanisms removed.

iiig. 2 is a plan view of one end of the printing trame showing the mechanism for stretching the cloth iengthwise.

lifig. 3 is a detailed plan view of one edge of the printing frame showing an automatic pinning mechanism engaged therewith.

Fig. 4 is a detailed end View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 with some parts in section.

Fig. 5 is a partial cross sectional view of the printing frame with a silk screen in printing position..

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken along lineB-i of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view similar to part of Fig. 4 but showing an additional wheel. -1

Referring now to Fig. 1, the printing frame is supported by a plurality of pipes I and II which 5 are fastened to the door by means of threaded flush plates I2. A horizontal pipe I3 joins the vertical pipes III and I I and is secured to them by the usual appropriate fastenings. The pipe I3 also serves as a guide for a roller mechanism which supports one side o! the printing frame.

The upper end of each support I0 is provided with a flush plate I4 and on top of each of these plates is secured an angle iron I (see Fig. 4) which is used to support and journal a portion of the stretching mechanism. A long fiat plate I6 which extends the entire length of the frame is secured to the angle irons I5 and on top of this plate two other angle irons are bolted. One angle iron Il is provided ior use as a printing guide and fulfills the same purpose as the printing guide rails on the present day tables. A small angle iron Il is bolted to the inside edge of plate I6 and serves as a supporting means for a brass bar 20 in which are mounted a plurality of pins 2 I.

It has been found convenient to use phonograph needles as pins and a spacing of one- `quarter of an inch apart is close enough to prevent scallops in the cloth and provide a strong anchorage.

Au iron bracket 22 is secured to each angle iron I5 and through a hole in each of these brackets a long shaft 23 is journaled. The shaft 23 extends for the entire length of the machine and since it is not requiredto transmit large amounts of power, a pipe may be substituted instead of a solid shalt.

A bevel gear 24 is secured to shaft 23 at each bracket and meshing with this gear is another bevel gear 25 mounted at right angles to the first and secured to a horizontal screw 26 which is journaled in the vertical portion of angle iron I5 and extends across the printing frame to a nut 2l attached to the movable rail assembly.

The movable rail is identical in every way to the stationary rail in so far as the upper or pinning portion is concerned. Fig. 6 shows the movportion on its surface which nts the outside of the pipe I3 and adds considerably to the contact surface. Bolts 8l act as bearings for the rollers.

It will be obvious from a study of the above construction that a rotation of the screws 25 will cause the entire movable rail to move toward or away from the stationary rail without altering its angular position. Cloth which has been pinned to each row of pins 2I may therefore be stretched by such movement.

The longitudinal pipe-shaft 23 (Figs. l and 2) extends for the entire length of the printing frame and has secured to it, all the gears 24 which may be mounted in the frame.

At one end of the frame a large wheel 33 is secured to shaft 23 and this wheel is coupled by a belt 34 to a much smaller pulley 35 run by an electric motor 35. A suitable electric switch and reversing means (not shown) is employed to turn the mechanism in either direction and impart a transverse motion to the movable rail.

At one or both ends of the frame a stretching device is installed to pull the cloth lengthwise before pinning is started. This mechanism consists of a rotary cylinder 31 (Fig. 2) upon which a plurality of studs 38 is secured. The roller 31 is mounted on a shaft 48 which is journaled in bearings 4I and 42 and a hand wheel 43 is secured to one end of the shaft for manual rotation. A ratchet wheel 44 and a pawl 45 serve as a means to retain the roller assembly in stretched relation while pinning is in progress.

When it is desired to stretch a, length of cloth 45 on the printing frame a prepared length of heavy cotton 41 is sewn to each end of the cloth 45 for longitudinal stretching. The cotton end pieces 41 have inserted in one edge lthereof, a plurality of grommets with a spacing equal to that of the studs 38. The grommets are placed over the studs at each end of the machine and the hand wheels 43 turned until the cloth 45 is stretched to a reasonable degree. The end stretching operation is performed to place the cloth in convenient position for the pinning operation and does not have to be severe. The exertion of one hundred pounds force will generally be suflicient for most jobs.

The cloth is now ready to be impaled on the pins 2 I. This operation is accomplished by a tool which rolls in the channel formed by the plate l5 and the angle irons I1 and I8. It pulls the cloth into alignment, turns it over, and then forces it on the pins 2I. In order not to create a bias in the cloth, both edges are pinned at the same time by two operators who walk from one end of the table to .the other at approximately the same speed and opposite to each other across the fra-me.

Fig. 1 shows two of these pinning structures, one in each channel, in the position for pinning operation. Figs. 3 and 4 show the pinner in greater detail. A flat metal base plate 50 serves as a foundation means for the majority of attachments which make up the pinning mechanism. Mounted on .the base plate are three rollers 5I which support the plate for longitudinal movement along .the frame channel and two side wheels 52 which ride on the angle iron I8 and provide horizontal alignment. A third side wheel 53 is mounted on a lever arm 54, pivoted on the base plate 58 and resiliently stressed by a spring 55. The spring mounting of Vthis wheel keeps Vthe pinner in contact with the angle iron I8 even though rthere may be irregularities of construction in fabricating the channel.

A fiat metal plate 55 is secured to the base plate 58 by suitable bolts 51 and extends over the angle iron I8 for a considerable distance. The plate 56 is designed to pass under the cloth during the pinning operation and provides a fiat surface to cooperate with a rubber wheel 58 as will be explained later.

Above the plate 55 is another metal plate 50 which is secured by the usual bolts and spacers and has a bent-over portion 5I which forces the cloth over into engagement with the pins 2 I. 'I'he cloth obviously passes between plates 55 and 58 which plates are spaced properly in accordance with the thickness of the cloth used.

A soft rubber wheel 52 1s rotatably mounted between the base plate 55 and a mounting strip 63 which also acts as a brace for the bent-over plate 5I). The rubber wheel 52 ls mounted in such a. manner that the pins 2| pierce its periphery about one-twentieth of an inch. When lthe selvage of a piece of cloth is guided between the wheel 52 and said pins. the cloth will be forced over the sharp pin points and part way up the shanks.

Mounted alongside of the rubber wheel is a circular brush 54 which pushes the cloth further along the pin shanks and seats it against the brass strip 20. Both wheels 52 and 54 are rotated solely by .their contact with the pins and cloth. No other rotative means is necessary.

In order to have'just the right amount of selvage bent over and pinned, an adjustable guide must be provided to place the cloth in proper alignment. Such a device is incorporated in the wheel 58 and its control lever 55. The wheel is mounted on an extension bracket 51 attached to a handle 58. As the pinning mechanism is pushed along the channel the cloth slides over plate 55 and under wheel 58 which rotates due to the friction with the cloth surface. As long as the wheel 58 is kept parallel -to the line of motion as indicated ln Figs. 3 and 4 the cloth will not be moved sideways, but if the wheel is turned at a slight angle by means of the handle 55 the cloth will be forced toward or away from the rail frame. Another handle 10 is shown in the figures since it has been found that the operator produces better results when two hands are used.

Fig. 7 illustrates an alternative method of turning over the cloth and is necessary only when very thin and light grades of cloth are used. The pinning mechanism is the same as that described above except that an extra rubber wheel 1I has been added. This wheel has a concave periphery and is mounted at an angle on a bent bracket 12. The cloth is kept in contact with the edge of plate 56 by this arrangement and is prevented from wrinkling upward as some of the thin fabrics are apt to do. As indicated in Fig. '1, the wheel 1| is turned at a slight angle off the direction of motion. This helps to force the cloth down toward the pins.

After the edges of the cloth have been impaled on both rows of pins the motor 35 is started and the movable rail is moved away from the stationary one until the cloth has been stretched quite tight. The amount of tension will have to be acquired by experience since it varies greatly due to the quality of textiles used.

A standard silk screen 13 (see Fig. 5) is used for the printing' operation, the details of which are well known in the textile art and therefore no detailed description is necessary here.

While I have described what I consider to be a lhighly desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention,

and l, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed.

li claim:

i. ri pinning mechanism of the class described for securing the selvage of a length of textile fabric to a plurality of pins set in a horizontal bar, said mechanism comprising a slidable base plate arranged for manual movement, an aligning means for positioning the edge of said fabric in correct pinning register, a folding guide Dlate for turning said fabric over to engage said pins, a resilient roller cooperating with said guide plate for folding said fabric, and a plurality of impaling wheels for successively forcing the selvage of said fabric along the shafts of said pins.

2. .il pinning mechanism of the class described for securing the selvage of a length of textile fabric to a plurality of pins set in a horizontal bar, said mechanism comprising a slidable base plate arranged for manual movement, an aligning means for positioning the edge of said fabric in correct pinning register, a folding guide plate for turning said fabric over to engage said pins, and a plurality of impaling wheels for successively forcing the selvage of said fabric along the shafts of said pins.

t. fi pinning mechanism of the class described for securing the selvage of a length of textile fabric to a plurality of pins set in a horizontal bar, said mechanism comprising a slidable base plate arranged for manual movement, an aligning means for positioning the edge of said fabric in correct pinning register, a folding guide plate for turning said fabric over to engage said pins and an impaling wheel for forcing the selvage of said fabric over the ends of said pins.

Afl. A pinning mechanism of the class described for securing the selvage of a length of textile fabric t a plurality of pins set in a horizontal bar, said mechanism comprising a frame arranged for manual movement, an aligning means for positioning the edge of said fabric in correct pinning register, a folding guide plate for turning said fabric over to engage said pins and an impaling resilient Wheel for forcing the selvage of said fabric over the ends of said pins.

5. A pinning mechanism of the class described for securing cloth to a printing frame having a plurality of pins set in the side pieces thereof, said mechanism comprising an aligning means for positioning the edge of said fabric in correct pinning register, said aligning means comprising a wheel for engaging the surface of said fabric, said wheel being horizontally journalled and manually adjustable about a vertical axis; a folding guide plate for turning said fabric over to engage said pins and an impaling resilient wheel for forcing the selvage of said fabric over the ends of said pins.

6. A pinning mechanism of the class described for securing fabric to a printing frame having a plurality of pins set in the side pieces thereof, said mechanism comprising an aligning Wheel engaging the surface of said fabric and rotatably mounted on a horizontal axis and manually adinstable about a vertical axis, a folding guide plate for turning said fabric over to engage said pins and an impaling resilient Wheel for forcing the selvage of said fabric over the ends of said pins.

7. In a pinning mechanism of the class described for securing the selvage of a fabric to a plurality of pins, an aligning means comprising a. movable base plate and an aligning wheel; said base plate arranged to slide under the fabric as the aligning wheel engages the upper surface thereof, and a mounting for said aligning wheel which permits horizontal axial rotation and manual adjustment about a vertical axis.

8. A pinning mechanism of the class described for securing fabric to a frame, said mechanism comprising an aligning wheel engaging the surface of said fabric and rotatably mounted on a horizontal axis and manually adjustable about a vertical axis.

RALPH E. BITNER.

Cil 

